Danish giant DFDS could attempt to return to the heavily used Tarifa–Tangier Ville route. But to secure the Moroccan license being put back up for tender, it will probably have to partner with a majority Moroccan-owned company.
FRS Iberia Morocco/DFDS announced the cancellation of the Tarifa-Tangier City maritime line from Monday, May 5, 2025, after 25 years of service. This connection will now be operated by the maritime company Baleària.
Due to Storm Herminia in the Campo de Gibraltar, almost all connections to Tangier from the port of Tarifa have been canceled this Monday. The ferry scheduled to reach the Moroccan port from Algeciras this morning has also been suspended.
DFDS-FRS Iberia, holder of the Tarifa-Tanger city line since 2023, has denounced the behavior of Balearia, which has recently announced that it has won the contract to supply two electric ferries to operate this maritime link.
The port of Tanger Ville is experiencing unprecedented maritime congestion in recent days, due to a shortage of maritime transport vessels between Tanger Ville and Tarifa in Spain.
The Port Authority of Tarifa has announced the return to normal port operations. On Saturday, after a disruption caused by gusts of wind, the port has resumed its crossings.
Due to unfavorable weather conditions (gusts of wind and storm), several shipping companies connecting Morocco from Algeciras and Tarifa had to cancel or suspend their routes.
As part of the Marhaba operation starting in a few days, the FRS Iberia Maroc company will deploy numerous connections. In total, 27 daily rotations are planned from Tanger Ville, Tanger Med, Tarifa, Ceuta and Algeciras to connect the two shores of the strait.
The shipping company FRS wants to recruit to relaunch its activities, after the resumption of maritime traffic between the Spanish and Moroccan ports and in preparation for the Marhaba Operation 2022. About a hundred new jobs will be created in Algeciras.
The port of Motril (Granada region) could restore maritime passenger traffic with Morocco this weekend, with the resumption of links to Nador and Al Hoceima.
Motril port is resuming two connections this month and launching a new freight line with Morocco, after a year of suspension due to the health crisis. This is the connection with Melilla, which resumes this Friday with the shipping company FRS and the operation, at the end of this month, of a new passenger line with Melilla, which will be operated by the company Balearia.
The shipping company FRS will resume the Melilla - Motril route on Friday, March 5. The Tarifa Jet, a fast ferry, will operate this route between the two ports on Fridays, Sundays and Mondays.